Western Morning News (Saturday)
Golden milestone for Maureen at village post office
APOSTMISTRESS who took over her local post office when her predecessor did not want to handle ‘the new money’ has celebrated her own golden jubilee.
St Minver postmistress Maureen Rickard has achieved 50 years of service to her rural Cornish community.
Maureen went straight to work in a post office in Rock at the age of 16. Then in 1971, with the planned decimalisation of sterling, the long-serving postmistress at St Minver decided to retire as her eyesight was not good and she didn’t want to handle the new currency.
Maureen said: “What I have enjoyed most about the role is meeting all of the people. It’s like going to the hairdressers: you have lots of interesting chats with people. Some people are very lonely, especially during the pandemic, and I might be the only person that they see.
“They come in for a chat and I know that there may be people waiting outside, but I don’t want to stop them from chatting as they need to speak to someone. This is a community post office through and through.
“It was wonderful when the community rallied around to relocate the post office. It makes you realise how much people appreciate having a post office in the village. This is the third location St Minver post office has been in since I became postmistress and this is definitely the best.”
Maureen has received praised from former postie and current North Cornwall MP Scott Mann on her long years of service.
Mr Mann said he had known Maureen through his previous employment as a postman, as a customer from living in the area and as the constituency MP in 2017 when the branch needed to relocate as its premises were to be sold. At the time, he supported the local charity The Perceval Institute, which had a fundraising appeal to save the branch.
The Institute, which owns the village hall, released space to accommodate the post office and helped Maureen raise more than £26,000 towards relocating through community donations and fundraising.
The post office has remained open during the pandemic as an essential retailer with a variety of products and services. It has helped people to keep in touch with loved ones they cannot meet, by sending letters and parcels. And there has been a big increase in home shopping returns.
Customers have also been doing their banking at St Minver.
Mr Mann said: “Post offices are playing a unique role during the pandemic, offering for many a communication link as well as services they would have to otherwise travel some distance to access. I want to praise Maureen for her commitment and passion to running this service at the heart of the community.
“Maureen plays a vital role within the community which has a high ageing population and is a tourist hotspot. The post office is the hub of the community and a lifeline for many who live here all year round.”
Maureen was presented last week with flowers and champagne to mark her 50 years’ service. Post Office area manager, Jess Cookson, said: “Maureen is loyal, hardworking and dedicated to her community. Big congratulations on reaching the golden milestone.”